The Food and Nutrition Security Committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has agreed on common areas of concern that need regional coordination and focus in order to improve food security and nutrition in the region.
The Committee, which convened a hybrid meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month took stock of member states’ implementation of the Ministers’ decisions related to food and nutrition security.
They also agreed on the need to advocate for public financing for food security and nutrition to the Heads of State and Government through platforms such as the Africa Leaders for Nutrition (ALN).
The Committee noted that the SADC member states needed to consider transformative food systems to enhance availability and access to diversified foods such as maximising the value chain for fisheries and aquaculture.
Director of Social and Human Development in the SADC Secretariat, Duduzile Simelane, noted that the AU Commission declared 2022 as the Year of Nutrition under the theme “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent”.
“The SADC has developed a tool on the complementary feeding action framework which aims at improving the diets of young children, through the action framework, member of states should catalyse the food, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and social protection systems to improve the diets of young children,” she said.
She added that, there is need to harness a systems approach to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in the region, through the support of UNICEF.
She commended member states that have adopted the action framework such as Eswatini, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
